Thomas de Grey, 6th Baron Walsingham facts for kids
Thomas de Grey, also known as the 6th Baron Walsingham, was born on July 29, 1843, and passed away on December 3, 1919. He lived at Merton Hall in Norfolk, England. He was a politician and also a very keen amateur entomologist. An entomologist is someone who studies insects.
Life and Interests
Thomas de Grey was born in London, in a part of the city called Mayfair. His father was the 5th Baron Walsingham. Thomas went to two famous schools: Eton College and Trinity College, Cambridge.
After finishing school, he became a politician. From 1865 to 1870, he was a Member of Parliament for West Norfolk. A Member of Parliament is someone elected to represent people in the country's government. In 1870, his father passed away, and Thomas became the 6th Baron Walsingham. This meant he joined the House of Lords, another part of the UK Parliament. He also managed his family's large estate in Merton, Norfolk. He helped with many public duties, including being a trustee for the British Museum.
His Love for Insects
Lord Walsingham had a huge passion for collecting butterflies and moths. This hobby is called lepidoptery. He started collecting insects when he was very young. He was especially interested in tiny moths called Microlepidoptera.
His collection of insects became one of the most important ever made. He bought other famous collections, which added to his own. In total, his collection had over 260,000 insect specimens! He later gave this amazing collection to the Natural History Museum in London. He also donated his library of 2,600 books about insects.
In 1887, Lord Walsingham was chosen to be a member of the Royal Society, a group for important scientists. He was also a member of the Entomological Society of London and was even its president twice. He was married three times but did not have any children. His half-brother became the next Baron after him.
A Record-Breaking Day
On August 30, 1888, Lord Walsingham had an incredible day while hunting grouse birds in Yorkshire. He managed to shoot 1,070 grouse! The day started very early, at 5:12 AM. He had two teams of 40 people to help him, along with loaders and other shooters.
During one part of the day, he shot 94 grouse in just 21 minutes. That's like shooting one bird every 13 seconds! The hunting finished at 6:45 PM. On his walk home, he even managed to shoot 14 more grouse.
Cricket Player
Lord Walsingham was also a talented cricket player. He played in "first-class" cricket matches from 1862 to 1866. On the scoreboards, he was known as T de Grey. He played in 15 matches and scored a total of 380 runs. His highest score in one game was 62 runs. He also caught 9 balls.
He mostly played for the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and Cambridge University. He even played in a special match called "Gentlemen v Players" in 1863. In 1866, he played for a team called I Zingari at Sandringham, where the Prince of Wales (who would later become King Edward VII) also played.
